02/06/2023 – A 21-year-old man was killed during a shooting on Avenida Brasil, near the neighborhood of Irajá. According to his family, he was returning home on a motorcycle when military police fired shots, hitting him in the back. According to the Military Police, officers were on patrol in the region, when they came across armed men on motorcycles. The bandits fired at the police who retaliated. A pistol, ammunition and a motorcycle were seized.
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05/06/2023 – Three men died, and one was injured after a shooting with military police in the community of Chacrinha, in Praça Seca, West Zone. According to the corporation, teams from the Tactical Actions Group were shot at by a group of armed men. After the shooting, three men were found dead and one injured in a wooded area in the region. With the group, a rifle, two pistols and two grenades were seized.
05/06/2023 – A Brazilian Army skydiver was assaulted and robbed inside the barracks in Vila Militar, in Deodoro, West Zone, by a hooded man with a knife. She had her pistol stolen, and the criminal fled inside the barracks. According to the military, the paratrooper had just left the overnight stay at the Skydiver Instruction Center and was returning to the Health Detachment when she was attacked. A hooded man would have come out of a thicket and attacked the woman with punches and kicks, took the Army pistol and fled. Two skydivers passing by on the street saw the scene and tried to run after the criminal. However, he shot at them and managed to escape. The Army believes that the theft was committed by a military who knows the escape routes from the area.
06/06/2023 – Civil Police carried out an operation in the communities of Santa Teresa, Rio Comprido and Catumbi, in downtown Rio. The target was a gang specialized in car theft and the police aimed to serve twelve arrest warrants. A teenager was apprehended because he had an open search warrant. Nine stolen motorcycles and four cars were recovered. Large amounts of marijuana and cocaine were also seized.
06/06/2023 – Civil Police arrested a man identified as a burglar in the West Zone. He was arrested as he left a beauty clinic, where he had just had a procedure, in Jardim Oceânico. In his house, police found dozens of jewelries and watches. According to investigations, he was part of a gang that robbed houses in Barra da Tijuca and Recreio at dawn, breaking into the roof, using fake keys, or robbing residents in the garage. The victims were locked in a room, while the burglars ransacked the property in search of valuables. Criminals often act hooded and gloved.
07/06/2023 – Drug dealers destroyed a Military Police (PM) armored vehicle in the Bateau Mouche community, in Praça Seca, West Zone. The criminals threw grenades and Molotov cocktails, which detonated under the vehicle. The fire reached the fuel hose and spread rapidly. The armored vehicle was being used to repress an attack against the PM’s advanced base. When it arrived, bandits surrounded it and started throwing bombs, as well as stones and bricks. The criminals fled to a wooded area. The PM stated that the ambush was a retaliation for the death of one of the local drug lords, known as DVD do Batô.
Our Analysis:
Considered almost indestructible, the Military Police armored vehicle – popularly known on the streets of Rio as “caveirão” – was destroyed by the flames of Molotov cocktails thrown by criminals from one of the communities in Praça Seca, West Zone. The episode caught the attention of experts. Some believe in a possible escalation of violence; others see little prospect of change – they consider it just another episode in the war between police and drug traffickers. This scene is an emblematic moment, and it shows the level of violence present in clashes between police and armed groups. The confrontations are increasingly lethal and militarized. Carrying out police operations are important, but after decades of implementing the logic of the “War on Drugs”, results are not really effective, and the gangs have only expanded in terms of territory and influence.
11/06/2023 – An elderly woman was dragged to the ground after reacting to a robbery on Rua Buarque de Macedo, in Flamengo, South Zone. The episode was recorded by a camera in the victim’s building. The images show the criminal walking along the sidewalk until he leaves the frame. He notices when the elderly woman arrives at the entrance, runs, asking to hold the door, and attacks her. Seconds later, the criminal leaves, pulling the elderly woman’s purse, who resists and won’t let go of the handle. The bandit pushes harder, and the resident ends up falling to the ground. He flees with her belongings. The elderly woman was returning from the bank after withdrawing R$ 700.
12/06/2023 – Security Agents from the Present Ipanema recovered the golden chain of federal deputy Arthur Maia (União Brasil/BA), which had been stolen on Avenida Vieira Souto, in Ipanema, South Zone. The theft took place when the deputy and his wife were walking along Ipanema beach. The couple was surprised by the action of the 17-year-old, who pulled the jewel and ran away. Security agents, who were patrolling the site, saw the theft and chased the criminal.
13/06/2023 – A man was killed after a police officer reacted to a robbery on Linha Amarela, near Bonsucesso, North Zone. According to the police, two men on a motorcycle attempted to rob the officer. Even off duty, the officer was armed and reacted by shooting one of them. The other managed to escape.
14/06/2023 – Rio de Janeiro Civil Police and the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) started Operation Casa de Papel, against a scam in the sale of real estate that imposed a loss of R$ 10 million to hundreds of victims. A man was arrested in an office in downtown Rio. The task force seized drugs, grenades, ammunition, telephones, and radio transmitters. Scammers advertised rented properties on the internet as if they were their own and disappeared after receiving the money. The negotiation and closing of the “purchase” were done in coworking spaces to try to convey the truthfulness of the deal.
15/06/2023 – A former military police officer (PM) was shot dead on Rua César Lattes, in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone. The 38-year-old man was expelled from the PM for medical problems in 2018. He worked as an entrepreneur in the tobacco and beverage trade. The police are investigating whether the cigarette mafia operating in Rio is involved in the case. According to witnesses, men got out of a white car and fired several shots at the former police officer’s head.
15/06/2023 – A 19-year-old young man was shot dead in Itanhangá, West Zone. He was at a friend’s auto repair shop when he was approached by a man. A security camera at the site recorded the scene, which took place on Avenida Engenheiro Sousa Filho, around 3:30 pm. According to witnesses, the man was part of the local militia.
17/06/2023 – An approach by a Federal Highway Police officer ended with a woman dead on the Washington Luiz Highway, close to the Parada de Lucas neighborhood. According to the Federal Highway Police, the officer shot after the car where the victim was in did not obey an order to stop. The police had received information about a car making sudden maneuvers at high speed.
18/06/2023 – Police officers from the Jacarepaguá Battalion were trapped in a house in Morro da Chacrinha, in Praça Seca, West Zone, after criminals shot and destroyed a vehicle. They were called to the scene to help an ambulance, which was taking care of a resident when it was attacked by a gang. To rescue the vehicle destroyed by shots and with the tires flat, the police had to rely on the help of an armored vehicle from the corporation.
19/06/2023 – During the early hours of the morning, two men broke into and stole belongings from an art gallery – the Provisional Gallery –, in Ipanema, South Zone. Among the items stolen is a 35-kilogram sculpture valued at R$10,000. The criminals’ action was caught by surveillance cameras at the gallery, located on Rua Visconde de Pirajá.
21/06/2023 – Two men were arrested for robbing the same victim in two different houses in Rio’s metropolitan area. They were hiding in Baixada Fluminense. The first robbery took place in January of this year, in Itaboraí. Months later, the second incident, happened on Rua Ana Neri, in the Rocha neighborhood, North Zone. Criminals were identified through security cameras. In testimony, the victim said that they took more than R$ 30,000 in cash and jewelry. After the second robbery, criminals tried to extort the victim asking for money to leave the family alone.
22/06/2023 – The Military Police carried out an operation to arrest militia leaders in Paciência and Santa Cruz, West Zone, throughout Thursday (22) night and early morning of Friday (23). The actions were concentrated in the Três Pontes, Antares and Aço communities. There was a shooting, one person died, and another was injured. Four people were arrested. Weapons, clothing, and cell phones were seized. Police officers were investigating intelligence tip about a meeting involving West Zone militia chiefs. To stop the police from advancing, criminals set barricades and a bus on fire.
24/06/2023 – A man was shot dead on Avenida Gilka Machado, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone. The region, known as Terreirão, has accumulated violent deaths in recent weeks, many of which are linked to disputes between drug traffickers and the militia in the area. The police are still investigating the motive for the crime, but do not rule out that the death is related to the war for control of the neighborhood.
26/06/2023 – The Military Police carried out an operation in Rocinha, South Zone, on Monday morning, to arrest outlaw bandits from other states, who were hiding in the region. Residents reported that there was shooting since the beginning of the action. The action also aimed to remove barricades from the community’s roads.
27/06/2023 – Officers from the Copacabana police station arrested a man known as Thais or Fighter, accused of having fired a shot at a volleyball player who was going to urinate in the street, in Copacabana, South Zone. Two other criminals were not found. The attempted murder took place on 14 February of this year. The athlete, who was on his way to Copacabana Beach, stopped near the entrance of a building and positioned himself to urinate. Soon after, the three criminals approach him. The victim was chased, assaulted, and even shot.
29/06/2023 – Militiaman Leandro Xavier da Silva, 28, known as Playboy da Curicica, was shot and killed after reacting to an action by the Civil Police in Complexo da Maré. According to the police, Playboy was identified as one of the main responsible for the war in Rio West Zone. Two pistols with the numbers shaved off were seized. The criminal had a strong presence in the neighborhoods of Curicica, Terreirão, Rio das Pedras and Muzema, in the West Zone. According to the police, Playboy had distanced himself from Zinho, a militiaman, and allied himself with one of the chiefs of drug dealers from a criminal faction that operates in Complexo da Maré.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- During summer months, mass robberies and thefts in touristic spots become the most prevalent security risks in Rio de Janeiro, specially in the city’s South Zone.
- Crowded beaches and its vicinities should be avoided.
- Avoid any display of wealth (jewelry, cell phones), but always carry a small amount of money (R$50) to hand over to muggers.
- In case of robbery: cooperate, do not try to run after the assailant as he or she might not be alone or turn violent.
- In the case of being in the immediate vicinity of a shootout:
- Lay on the ground and seek cover.
- When it is safe to do so, find the nearest building, stay away from windows, do not move unless you are sure that the gunfire has ended.
- Avoid walking alone in poorly lit areas or beaches after nightfall. Avoid walking through tunnels.
- Avoid the vicinity of crime-prone areas such as ‘communities’ (so-called ‘favelas’) and lower-income neighborhoods.
- Be always cautious, even in the areas considered safe such as Downtown, Botafogo, Copacabana and Ipanema. Exercise caution in the Centro during the day and avoid the area after nightfall and on Sundays.
- Be careful when using the GPS as they may lead you to unsafe areas controlled by organized crime. Prefere Cooperative taxis instead of driving yourself.
